Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Awareness Weekend
Coach Weber and his assistants will be sporting Nikes on the Assembly Hall sidelines Saturday during the game against Indiana, as college coaches across the country trade in dress shoes for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Awareness Weekend. In addition, the Fighting Illini will wear pink-branded Nike uniforms to raise awareness about Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the ACS and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Since 1993, the organization has raised more than $55 million for ACS. Coach Weber serves on the Coaches vs. Cancer national board and was recognized for his contributions and involvement with the program by receiving the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award in 2007.

The shoes were designed by Dr. Cliff Johnson, who worked alongside the Illini basketball staff in creating the shoes. It was a Christmas gift from his wife, Dr. Cristina Medrano, who was the high bidder on the "Design a Nike Shoe" package that was part of a Coaches vs. Cancer auction held on WDWS radio last fall.

Illinois is one of four Nike sponsored men's basketball programs that will showcase the pink-trimmed uniforms this weekend, joining Oregon, BYU and Iowa State. The custom designed uniforms are part of Nike's support of the V Foundation for Cancer Research and Kay Yow Cancer Fund and compliment the Coaches vs. Cancer program.

Opening Tips
 Demetri McCamey has scored 991 career points. He is just nine points away from becoming the 42nd player in Illini history to join the 1,000-point club.

 McCamey has accounted for nearly 47 percent of Illinois' offense in Big Ten play

 McCamey has been on the floor 93.3 percent of the time for the Illini over the last six games, logging 224 minutes.

 Over the last three games, D.J. Richardson is averaging 16.3 points (49) on 55.2 percent shooting from the field (16-29), and 50 percent from 3-point range (8-16).

 Richard scored a career-high 20 points at Penn State on Wednesday, becoming the sixth different UI player to record a 20-point game this season.

 Illinois has shot better than 50 percent from the field and had five players score in double figures in each of the last two games.

 Brandon Paul has scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time since the first week of December.

 Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten (conference games) in both field goal percentage defense (.388) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.282). The Illini led the league in both categories last year.

 In conference play, Demetri McCamey ranks first in the league with an average of 7.0 assists. He has totaled 56 assists in Big Ten games, 17 more than the next closest assists leader.

 McCamey tallied his seventh 20-point game of the season with a season-high 28 points against Purdue on Jan. 27. He has 14 career 20-point games to lead the Illini.

 McCamey has scored at least nine points in all but three games this season.

 Tisdale recorded his 700th career point at Northwestern last Saturday. Mike Davis, meanwhile, is one point shy of scoring 700 career points.

 D.J. Richardson (all games) ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.6 percent (41-92).

 McCamey leads the league and ranks 13th in the NCAA in assists (6.0 apg), while Mike Davis leads the Big Ten and ranks 41st in the nation in rebounding (9.2 rpg).

 Davis leads the Big Ten and ranks 26th in the NCAA in double-doubles this season with nine.

 In addition to leading the Big Ten with nine double-doubles this season, Davis ranks second in the Big Ten in career double-doubles with 18, trailing only Ohio State's Evan Turner (21).

 Tisdale needs one blocked shot to record his 100th career block. He currently ranks seventh on the UI all-time blocked shots list with 99.

 Illinois ranks 14th in the NCAA in assists (16.9 apg) and 22nd in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).

 Illinois' four leading scorers on the season are in double figures, averaging between 10.9 and 14.9 points.

 The Illini have started six different lineups on the season.

 Tyler Griffey had a career-high 12 points at Michigan State on Jan. 16, becoming the eighth different Illini player to score in double figures in a game this season.

 Tisdale had a career-high seven blocked shots vs. Penn State on Jan. 12, the second-highest single-game total in school history.

 Tisdale scored a career-high 31 points vs. Northwestern on Dec. 30 on 78.6 percent shooting (11-14), the best field goal percentage by a Big Ten player in conference play.

 Six of Illinois' eight losses have been by less than seven points, as the Utah, Bradley, Georgia, Gonzaga, Purdue and Northwestern games were decided by a total of 22 points (3.7 avg). Illinois held a second-half lead in all six of those games.

Last Time Out
Illinois earned its second Big Ten road win and improved to 5-3 in conference play with a 77-67 victory at Penn State Wednesday. The Illini jumped out to a 20-9 lead and maintained the advantage throughout the half, entering the locker room up 40-33. But the Nittany Lions opened the second half on a 13-2 run of its own to take its biggest lead of the night at 46-42 with 15 minutes remaining. Illinois, took control from that point, holding Penn State to just two field goals over the next 13 minutes. The Illini outscored the Lions 22-8 during that stretch to open up a 64-54 lead with two minutes left, en route to a 10-point victory.

D.J. Richardson was one of five Illini to score in double figures, recording a career-high 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting and perfect 8-of-8 accuracy from the foul line. Bill Cole also registered a career high with 12 points on 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and added a career-high seven rebounds. Mike Davis came off the bench to tally 11 points and eight boards, while Mike Tisdale and Brandon Paul netted 10 points apiece. Demetri McCamey, meanwhile, dished out a game-high nine assists.

D-Will an All-Star
Former Illini All-American and current Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams has been chosen to play in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in his hometown of Dallas on Feb. 14. This is the first All-Star accolade for Williams, who is in his fifth season with the Jazz and averages 19.0 points and ranks fourth in the NBA with an average of 9.5 assists. Williams will become the first Illini to play in the NBA All-Star game since Don Ohl in 1967.

Looking Back at the Last Illinois-Indiana Game
The Illini fought back from a 15-point second-half deficit to claim a 66-60 victory at Indiana on Jan. 9. After shooting just 26 percent and making five field goals in the first half, the Illini trailed 41-28 halftime. Illinois still trailed 57-48 with eight minutes remaining before finishing on an 18-3 run which included the game's last seven points.
Trailing 60-59, the Illini called timeout and set up a play for D.J. Richardson, who hit an 18-footer with 1:16 remaining to give the Illini a 61-60 lead. After Indiana missed a free throw, the Illini executed on offense again, with Demetri McCamey finding Mike Tisdale for a layup with 38 seconds left to put the Illini up three. Richardson then recorded a blocked shot on IU's next possession, and the Illini sealed the win by hitting 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds.
Illinois doubled Indiana in the second half, outscoring the Hoosiers 38-to-19 after the break. The Illini did much of its work at the free throw line, shooting 27-of-39 on the night, both season highs.
Tisdale led the way with a game-high 27 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 13-of-14 from the line. He also had nine rebounds. McCamey scored 19 points and totaled a game-high nine assists with only one turnover, while Richardson added 14 points and tied his career high with three steals.

For complete set of Illinois basketball game notes, click on PDF link at top of this page.